Derek Jeter to retire after 2014 season

Derek Jeter has announced that he will retire from professional baseball following the 2014 season, revealing the information via his Facebook fan page on Wednesday afternoon.

At exactly 2 p.m. EST on Wednesday, a photo of the letter containing the announcement was added to Jeter's page. The opening sentence of the letter read, "I want to start by saying thank you," and the bombshell was dropped in the fifth paragraph:

"I could not be more sure. I know it in my heart. The 2014 season will be my last year playing professional baseball."

Within the post, which agent Casey Close confirmed as legitimate to Daily News Yankees beat writer Mark Feinsand, Jeter revealed that he "came to the conclusion months ago" that 2014 would be his final season, and that "now it's time for the next chapter."

The 39-year-old Yankees Captain played just 17 games last year, missing time because of a series of injuries to his legs, and as Jeter said in the announcement that as he went through that, "I started to realize that some of the things that always came easily to me had started to become a struggle" and that "the one thing I always said to myself was that when baseball started to feel more like a job, it was time to move forward."

Jeter concluded the announcement with the following paragraph:

"Before that (final chapter), I want to soak in every moment of every day this year, so I can remember it for the rest of my life. And most importantly, I want to help the Yankees reach our goal of winning another championship."

MLB Commissioner Bud Selig said in a statement that ""Derek is the kind of person that generations have emulated proudly, and he remains an exemplary face of our sport. Major League Baseball looks forward to celebrating his remarkable career throughout the 2014 season."

Derek Jeter's final regular-season game at Yankee Stadium will be Thursday, September 25 against the Baltimore Orioles, and his final regular-season game period will come on Sunday, September 28 against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park.